National child rights panel complains of fraud

NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has reported misuse of funds by a former sub-inspector who also forged signatures to secure admission at foreign institutes and submitted bills of nonexistent hotels to claim his travel allowance. The crime branch is now investigating whether more NCPCR employees are involved in the fraud.

The accused (name withheld) is learned to have different dates of birth in his documents and the university he claims to have graduated from does not exist. The address of the university is that of his house, the complaint states. The accused has allegedly taken away an office laptop and a desktop, and submitted a missing report for the former.

NCPCR's member secretary Asheem Srivastav first made the complaint to the special cell but later the crime branch registered an FIR under sections of cheating and forgery. The accused worked as a project coordinator in the RTE Division of NCPCR on contract basis from March 2012 to June 2013.

The NCPCR complaint states that it has recovered a recommendation letter bearing the signature of the national coordinator and addressed to the administrator, Academy of European Law, European University Institute in Italy. Another recommendation letter has been addressed to the administrator, International Institute of Human Rights in France, where the accused secured admission.

He allegedly got some cards and loans from SBI by changing the figures on his pay slip and forging the signature of another consultant on it. He visited Mumbai from July 15 to July 17 and claimed staying expenses of Rs 11,100 at a hotel. He also visited Patna from January 29 to February 2 and claimed Rs 22,500 for staying at a hotel that does not exist.

The accused has also issued a recommendation letter to his friend for a scholarship programme in the European University Institute stating he interned at the NCPCR. The cops are probing these allegations and his arrest is likely, said an officer.